final report october 2008courses.washington.edu/pbaf531/macarthurreport_excerpts.pdf · 2009. 1....

FINAL REPORT

October 2008

International Commission on

Education for Sustainable

Development Practice

Commission Members

John DeGioia Helene Gayle Lawrence Haddad* Jim Kim Jeffrey Koplan* Freddie Kwesiga* Lee Yee Cheong Livingstone Luboobi John W. McArthur (Co-chair) Goolam Mohamedbhai Milena Novy-Marx R.K. Pachauri* Alice Pell Paul R. Samson Jeffrey D. Sachs (Co-chair) Laurence Tubiana Ann Veneman Virgilio Viana* Xiao Geng* Ernesto Zedillo

* Regional Coordinator




Copyright © 2008The Earth Institute at Columbia University

This publication should be cited as: Report from the International Commission on Education for Sustainable Development Practice, 2008.

The International Commission on Education for Sustainable Development Practice was commissioned by the Earth Institute at Columbia University and sponsored by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. This publication does not necessarily refl ect the views of the MacArthur Foundation or Columbia University.

This book was edited, designed, and produced by Amy Shaw and Jae Kim, Brooklyn, NY. Printed by A.J. Bart, Inc., Brooklyn, NY.

FOREWORD

PREFACE

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

I. THE PRACTICAL NEEDS OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

II. DIAGNOSIS: THE CURRENT STATE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

PRACTICE

1. DEMAND FOR A NEW TYPE OF “GENERALIST” DEVELOPMENT

PRACTITIONER

2. DEMAND FOR A NEW EDUCATIONAL SYSTEM

2.1 GAPS IN GRADUATE-LEVEL DEGREE PROGRAMS

2.2 LACK OF APPROPRIATE TRAINING PROGRAMS FOR LIFE-LONG

LEARNING

III. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BUILDING A NEW FIELD OF SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT PRACTICE

RECOMMENDATION 1

ESTABLISH THE CORE COMPETENCIES OF THE SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT PRACTITIONER

RECOMMENDATION 2

BUILD A GLOBAL “MASTER’S IN DEVELOPMENT PRACTICE” (MDP) DEGREE

PROGRAM

2.1 MDP Core Curriculum

2.2 Enhancing Curriculum with Case Studies and Practical Exercises

2.3 Global Learning Resources for Sustainable Development Practice

2.4 MDP Network

2.5 Field Training

2.6 Sample Academic Calendar

2.7 Variations on the MDP Curriculum

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Contents

2.8 Program Administration and Organizational Structure for New MDP

Programs

RECOMMENDATION 3

PROVIDE ONGOING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR PRACTITIONERS

3.1 Within Academic Institutions

3.2 Organization-based Initiatives

RECOMMENDATION 4

ESTABLISH THE MDP SECRETARIAT AND INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY BOARD

4.1 Key Responsibilities of MDP Secretariat

IV. TIMELINE FOR NEXT STEPS

V. CONCLUSION

APPENDIX

A. Summary Table of Graduate Degree Programs in Development

B. List of Consulted Institutions and Organizations

C. MDP Learning Outcomes

D. Example Training Module: Food Production Management

E. Partner Universities in the Commission’s Early Initiatives

F. Biographies of Commission Members

Contents

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The interwoven challenges of sustainable development—from extreme poverty and disease control to climate change and ecosystem vulnerability—can only be resolved by leveraging knowledge and skills from a range of disciplines. Meaningful progress requires practical, well-managed policies and programs that incorporate insights from the health sciences, natural sciences and social sciences.

Consider, for example, the many areas of core knowledge necessary to effectively address the challenge of combating chronic hunger in sub-Saharan Africa. Knowledge of agriculture is required to understand the biophysical factors contributing to the stagnation of crop yields, and the technical solutions that could quickly boost food output and provide a source of quality nutrition in rural areas. Basic knowledge of environmental science is needed to manage the agricultural land environment and to understand its interactions with climate change. In order to promote nutrition and labor productivity among farmers and to fi ght the parasites that contribute to under-nourishment, knowledge of health, nutrition and disease control is required. Core knowledge of engineering is required to understand the fundamental infrastructure necessary to support energy, irrigation, storage, transportation and communications systems. To ensure both farm- and macro-scale policy solutions are economically sustainable, knowledge of economics is required to design long-term strategies for overcoming the poverty trap. Political science is required to understand the social promoters and inhibitors of investing in rural areas. Knowledge of anthropology is required to ensure that priorities and innovations are relevant and manageable in local contexts. Participatory planning skills are necessary to ensure multi-stakeholder design of solutions, while at the same time management and administration skills are necessary to promote institutional development at the local and national level.

Crucially, none of these individual areas of knowledge is suffi cient on its own to solve the challenge of hunger; all are necessary. The same need for multi-disciplinary problem solving arises across a range of developing-country policy challenges, such as disease control, water management, energy service delivery, and climate change adaptation and mitigation.

It remains an unresolved paradox that the parameters for policymaking in all sectors—including education, health and the environment—are often set by

Executive Summary

International Commission on Education for Sustainable Development Practice

fi nance ministries and other powerful fi nancial institutions that tend to have limited knowledge of the sectors whose outcomes they decide. Finance offi cials are typically classroom-trained in the theories of economics with insuffi cient background for evaluating the absolute or relative merits of a plan to control a disease, manage an ecosystem or deliver an energy service, for instance. With predominantly urban life experiences, such individuals may encounter diffi culty in understanding the distinct nature of rural problems in diverse cultural, economic, social and environmental settings. Furthermore, they typically do not have much exposure to the ground-level practicalities of policy management and project implementation. Yet the consequences are of the highest order when decisions affect, and sometimes even cost, millions of lives at a time.

Few development practitioners are currently prepared to design and implement integrated solutions that would promote sustainable development. Even within development-related academic programs, individual disciplines tend to value inward-looking specialization rather than outward-looking problem solving, often discouraging practical connections across communities of expertise. Trained within the current system, professionals rarely have the background necessary to conduct effective cross-disciplinary policy management or problem solving.

The International Commission on Education for Sustainable Development Practice,1 supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and based at The Earth Institute at Columbia University, was established in early 2007 to identify the core cross-disciplinary educational needs to support problem solving in the realm of sustainable development. The Commission’s work is anchored in an understanding that professionals working in the fi eld of sustainable development—whether in inter-governmental organizations, developing-country ministries, developed-country aid agencies, non-governmental organizations or academic institutions—are not suffi ciently prepared to surmount the challenges that they confront.

The Commission was launched with inspiration from The Flexner Report of 1910.2 Just as the fi eld of medicine suffered from inconsistent and often ineffective medical training prior to the release of that report, the practice of sustainable development suffers from the lack of comprehensive and systematic training to foster the core competencies required of an effective practitioner. By providing recommendations for the key components of a rigorous system for professional training, the present report aims to contribute to a vastly more rigorous approach to education in the fi eld of sustainable development.

This report outlines the Commission’s recommendations for building a comprehensive new system of professional education anchored in a practical, cross-disciplinary approach to continuous learning throughout the lifecycle of a sustainable development practitioner. Throughout this report, “sustainable development” is defi ned as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising

Executive Summary

1 See Appendix F for biographies of Commission members.2 Flexner A. Medical Education in the United States and Canada. New York, NY: Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching; 1910. The Flexner Report presented a review of 155 medical schools across Canada and the U.S., highlighting the extensive variation in the quality and rigor of programs, and recommending key elements of a medical training program including prerequisite requirements for incoming students, bed-side “clinical” training, faculty engagement in research, and stronger state regulations for state licensure. The fi ndings and recommendations presented in the Flexner Report resulted in the standardization of medical education.

Final Report 2008

the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”3 In practical terms, sustainable development entails increasing the material well-being of the poor while narrowing the proportionate gap with the rich; continuing the scope for improved material well-being of the rich; and ensuring the sustainable functioning of the Earth’s ecosystems, including conservation of the Earth’s biodiversity. Sustainable development is achieved through economic and social development that refl ects the physical and environmental, as well as the political and cultural conditions in which human society operates.

As part of its mandate, the Commission conducted a basic diagnosis of the current state of sustainable development training and practice. Under the guidance of the Commission’s six Regional Coordinators, the Commission launched a series of consultations, engaging a cross-section of practitioners from universities, government and non-government agencies, fi nancial institutions, and other development-focused organizations in Africa, East Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and South Asia. Consultations included interviews, regional conferences, surveys and questionnaires. Throughout the consultation process, Commissioners identifi ed shortfalls in cross-disciplinary problem solving and the lack of systematic skill-development across a range of core competencies within both professional education programs and organizations working in sustainable development.

3 Brundtland Commission. Our Common Future. London, England: Oxford University Press; 1987. The Brundtland Commission was convened by the United Nations in 1983 to address growing concern “about the accelerating deterioration of the human environment and natural resources and the consequences of that deterioration for economic and social development.” It was this Commission and subsequent Report that fi rst clearly outlined the idea of “sustainable development.”

ANALYSIS AND DIAGNOSIS OF THE CURRENT STATE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PRACTICE

NATURAL SCIENCES

SOCIAL SCIENCES

HEALTH SCIENCES

MANAGEMENT

MISSING LINK

Diagram 1

Missing Linkages Between Fields(Four Spheres)

3


Need for “Generalist” Sustainable Development PractitionersThe lack of cross-disciplinary knowledge and skills within the fi eld of sustainable development highlights the need for a new type of “generalist” practitioner, one who understands the complex interactions among fi elds and is able to coordinate and implement effectively among the insights offered by subject-specifi c specialists. A new cadre of such generalists would fulfi ll a range of roles in government (such as ministers of planning and fi nance), non-governmental organizations (such as regional directors and program managers), the United Nations (resident coordinators, country directors and regional directors), bilateral and multilateral fi nancial institutions and aid organizations, grant-giving foundations and corporations, and private sector companies working in the context of developing countries. While PhDs and other advanced specialists will continue to provide signifi cant contributions within distinct fi elds of knowledge, generalists are needed to navigate across the intellectual and institutional silos of specialized disciplines to develop integrated policy solutions that are scientifi cally, politically and contextually grounded.

Gaps in Graduate Degree ProgramsWhile many universities around the world offer graduate degree programs that have a “development” label, programs typically focus on either social sciences or environmental sciences, and offer few opportunities for systematic, cross-disciplinary education or management training. Across these programs, there are no consistent standards for prerequisite training, core curriculum or program length. The acquisition of practical skills requires opportunities for refl ective experimentation and “hands-on” experiences, yet too few programs stimulate learning around functional and practical knowledge, and students’ opportunities

Executive Summary

Diagram 2

Sustainable Development

Practice at the intersection of the

Four Spheres

HEALTH SCIENCES

SOCIAL SCIENCES

MANAGEMENT

SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT

PRACTICE

NATURAL SCIENCES

creo

Final Report 2008

for course-related fi eld work or internships remain rare. The Commission fi nds that while existing degree programs may offer some subset of the required skills, there are no programs that systematically provide students with the relevant skills and knowledge in health sciences, natural sciences and engineering, social sciences, and management, while developing practical skills through fi eld-based training.

Lack of Appropriate Training Programs for Life-long Learning Mirroring the lack of degree programs focused on cross-disciplinary learning, development professionals have almost no opportunities for refreshing and upgrading relevant skills throughout their careers. Executive education programs typically focus on management techniques rather than substantive training. In addition, training programs within organizations working in sustainable development generally do not provide staff and management with cross-disciplinary learning opportunities or requirements.

In order to succeed in the practice of sustainable development, professionals must be trained in a basic set of competencies that integrate cross-disciplinary knowledge for practical problem solving with management and leadership skills for effective implementation. With the aim of supporting future generations of professionals as well as those currently working in the sphere of sustainable development, the Commission makes the following recommendations.

1. Establish the Core Competencies of the Sustainable Development Practitioner

In consultation with a broad range of development practitioners, the Commission has identifi ed fundamental “core competencies”—essential knowledge, skills and attributes—required of an effective sustainable development practitioner.

2. Launch a Global Network of Master’s in Development Practice Programs

As the fl agship of the new fi eld, the two-year Master’s in Development Practice (MDP) program would provide graduate-level students at key academic institutions around the world with the core skills and knowledge required of a generalist development practitioner.

Curriculum: MDP programs would require full-time enrollment of graduate-level students for at least two full years, and would include rigorous study of cross-disciplinary topics spanning the following core disciplines:

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BUILDING A NEW FIELD OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

•

5


Health Sciences—nutrition, population sciences and reproductive health, basic epidemiology of infectious and non-infectious disease, health policy, health system design and management

Natural Sciences and Engineering—agriculture, forestry and fi shery management, water management, energy, engineering, environment and climate science

Social Sciences—anthropology, economics, education, politics and international political economies, statistics

Management—project design and management, budget planning and fi nancial management, commodities management, communication and negotiations, critical self-refl ection, geographic information systems and decision making tools, institutional resource and human resource management, information management systems and design

Practical learning through projects, exercises and case studies: To support and enrich the core MDP curriculum, the program would integrate a variety of teaching and learning resources including practical, experiential learning through cross-disciplinary case studies and group exercises.

Global Learning Resources for Sustainable Development Practice: Shared “open-source” curricula, global courses, communication portals for students and faculty, web-based collaborative activities, and other learning resources would enhance the MDP program at universities around the world by providing curricular support as well as real-time engagement in practical, cross-institutional learning and knowledge sharing.

MDP Network: A vibrant network of universities, development agencies, research institutions and affi liated organizations would participate in academic exchanges, mentorship programs and curriculum development.

Field Training: Designed to build practical “on the job” skills, the MDP fi eld training program should include two separate assignments lasting a total of six months. Field training programs will work in coordination with partner universities and local development organizations to provide a holistic “clinical” training experience.

Executive Summary

•

•

•

•

Final Report 2008

Variations on the MDP curriculum: Apart from the core MDP curriculum, some academic institutions may choose to incorporate a regional focus, a discipline-based specialization, or complementary skill training within a specialized program of study.

Program Administration: The innovative design of the MDP program would require a supportive administrative base, a select group of students with motivation, experience and academic preparation, and a dedicated faculty able to work collaboratively to develop cross-disciplinary curricula.

3. Establish Ongoing Professional Development Programs for Sustainable Development To support multi-disciplinary and multi-functional professional learning at all stages of an individual’s career, the Commission recommends the following:

Within the MDP network: In collaboration with universities and organizations participating in MDP-type programs, new training programs should be developed to support ongoing professional development including condensed “mid-career” MDP programs, virtual learning, and certifi cation programs to develop the core competencies of a sustainable development practitioner.

Organization-based initiatives: Organizations tasked with responsibilities to plan or manage sustainable development interventions should require their senior staff to integrate cross-disciplinary knowledge and skills into their daily operations. New initiatives such as induction and in-service training programs would address this shortcoming, as well as competency-based criteria for promotion to senior-level positions and certifi cation systems to ensure staff have obtained a minimal level of knowledge and skill in relevant areas.

4. Establish a Global MDP SecretariatA global MDP Secretariat would work to build educational resources and standards for the global network of programs, and support broader outreach on behalf of MDP-related initiatives. Guided by an International Advisory Board comprised of experts in the fi eld of sustainable development, the Secretariat’s key responsibilities would include:

Coordinating the MDP Global Network of universities and partner institutionsManaging the development of MDP curriculaBuilding and supporting the Open-Source Online Resource CenterCoordinating global courses

•

•

•

•

•

•••

7


Establishing eligibility guidelines for partner MDP programsStewarding relationships with donorsAssisting academic institutions in their preparation for MDP grant proposals

Through the course of its work, the Commission has been able to help mobilize a global network of efforts that are already providing momentum to its recommendations. There is clearly strong global demand for a cross-disciplinary education system to train the next generation of sustainable development practitioners. As this report goes to press, several universities are already preparing their own plans to launch Master’s in Development Practice programs (see Appendix E). The very fi rst group of students is scheduled to begin classes in August of 2009. And the newly formed Global MDP Secretariat is already at work to support the global MDP network and the new MDP degree programs.

The implementation of the Commission’s recommendations would be a fundamental step forward for the practice of sustainable development. At the same time, the creation of new education programs alone will be insuffi cient in affecting long-term change. Coordinated efforts to revise and expand the ideas presented in this report will be needed to respond to the dynamic nature of sustainable development, and the evolving technologies that are empowering ever-richer forms of global communication and curriculum development. Innovative tools should continually be developed to effectively teach competencies and to measure and test competency development.

In a fragile planet that requires management of countless complex and delicate natural and social systems, future generations will require all the cross-disciplinary expertise that they can muster. By activating a vibrant network of academic institutions, development organizations, research institutions, governments and donors to engage in cross-disciplinary problem solving on an ongoing basis, the Commission’s recommendations are poised to play a dynamic and constructive role in advancing the long-term sustainable development on which the world depends.

Executive Summary

CONCLUSION

•••

Final Report 2008

I . The Practical Needs of Sustainable Development

The interwoven challenges of sustainable development—from extreme poverty and disease control to climate change and ecosystem vulnerability—can only be resolved by leveraging knowledge and skills from a range of disciplines. Meaningful progress requires practical, well-managed policies and programs that incorporate insights from the health sciences, natural sciences and social sciences. These compound challenges demand integrated, cross-disciplinary approaches guided and managed by skilled practitioners.

Consider, for example, the many areas of core knowledge necessary to effectively address the challenge of combating chronic hunger in Sub-Saharan Africa. Knowledge of agriculture is required to understand the biophysical factors contributing to the stagnation of crop yields, and the technical solutions that could quickly boost food output and provide a source of quality nutrition in rural areas. Basic knowledge of environmental science is needed to manage the agricultural land environment and to understand its interactions with climate change. In order to promote nutrition and labor productivity among farmers and to fi ght the parasites that contribute to under-nourishment, knowledge of health, nutrition and disease control is required. Core knowledge of engineering is required to understand the fundamental infrastructure requirements to support energy, irrigation, storage, transportation and communications systems. To ensure both farm- and macro-scale policy solutions are economically sustainable, knowledge of economics is required in order to design long-term solutions to the poverty trap. Political science is required to understand the social promoters and inhibitors of investing in rural areas. Knowledge of anthropology is required to ensure that priorities and innovations are relevant and manageable in local contexts. Participatory planning skills are necessary to ensure multi-stakeholder design of solutions, while at the same time management and administration skills are necessary to promote institutional development at the local and national level.

The same need for cross-disciplinary problem solving skills arises when confronting the challenge of disease control in malaria-endemic areas. Core knowledge of epidemiology, vector control, ecology, climate variability, and effective pharmacological treatments and interventions is required. Moreover, an ability to design appropriate prevention and community education strategies is critical to promoting the distribution and use of bed-nets, the treatment or elimination of stagnant water and mosquito breeding grounds, and the training of parents to recognize the basic signs and symptoms of infection.

Yet knowledge and planning alone will not create interventions capable of confronting the challenge of endemic malaria. Interventions must also incorporate policies and fi nancing mechanisms to support improved infrastructure, procurement and distribution systems, as well as effective and sustainable healthcare delivery systems. The design and implementation of a comprehensive malaria control strategy, therefore, requires a knowledge base that spans the disciplines of health,

11


environmental and biological sciences, education, infrastructure, policy systems, economics, budgeting and fi nancial management.

In addition to problem solving and intervention design, policies must be in place to support implementation. Yet a lack of cross-disciplinary knowledge at the government and policy level often restricts development efforts. It is an unresolved paradox that the parameters for policymaking in all sectors—including education, health and the environment—are often set by fi nance ministries and other powerful fi nancial institutions that tend to have limited knowledge of the sectors whose outcomes they decide. Finance offi cials are typically classroom-trained in the theories of economics with insuffi cient background for evaluating the absolute or relative merits of, for instance, a plan to control a disease, manage an ecosystem or deliver an energy service. With predominantly urban life experiences, such individuals may encounter diffi culty in understanding the distinct nature of rural problems in diverse cultural, economic, social and environmental settings. Furthermore, they typically do not have much exposure to the ground-level practicalities of policy management and project implementation. Yet the consequences are of the highest order when decisions affect, and sometimes even cost, millions of lives at a time.

The same holds true of organizational management. Even within development-focused organizations, the skilled leadership needed to design and manage integrated approaches to confront development challenges is too often lacking. This often results in a focus on achieving small and isolated sector-specifi c gains. Working within the context of limited fi nancial and human resources, poor coordination among institutions and programs also becomes a fundamental factor limiting sustainable development. Add to this the prevalence of inconsistent policies and poor coordination among institutions and the result can be redundant programs, weak synergies, tensions among institutions and other inadequacies in development processes.

In the absence of comprehensive, cross-disciplinary training, few practitioners are currently prepared to design and implement integrated solutions that would promote sustainable development. Even within development-related academic programs, individual disciplines tend to value inward-looking specialization rather than outward-looking problem solving, often discouraging practical connections across communities of expertise. Trained within the current system, professionals and organizations rarely have the background necessary to conduct effective cross-disciplinary policy management or problem solving.

In an effort to bolster the leadership and training of development practitioners, The International Commission on Education for Sustainable Development Practice,4 supported by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and based at The Earth Institute at Columbia University, was established in early 2007 to identify the core cross-disciplinary educational needs to support problem solving in the

4 See Appendix F for biographies of Commission members.

I . The Practical Needs of Sustainable Development

12

Final Report 2008

in the realm of sustainable development. Just as the fi eld of medicine suffered from inconsistent and often ineffective medical training prior to the 1910 release of The Flexner Report,5 the practice of sustainable development suffers from the lack of comprehensive and systematic training to foster the core competencies required of an effective practitioner. By providing recommendations for the key components of a rigorous system for professional training, the present report aims to spark a profound transformation in the fi eld of sustainable development.

As referenced in this report, “sustainable development” is defi ned as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”6 In practical terms, sustainable development entails increasing the material well-being of the poor while narrowing the proportionate gap with the rich; continuing the scope for improved material well-being of the rich; and ensuring the sustainable functioning of the Earth’s ecosystems, including conservation of the Earth’s biodiversity. Sustainable development is achieved through economic and social development that refl ects the physical and environmental, as well as the political and cultural conditions, in which human society operates. To that end, this report outlines the Commission’s recommendations for building a comprehensive new system of professional education anchored in a practical, cross-disciplinary approach to continuous learning throughout the lifecycle of a sustainable development practitioner.

5 Flexner A. Medical Education in the United States and Canada. New York, NY: Carnegie Foundation for the Advance- ment of Teaching; 1910. The Flexner Report presented a review of 155 medical schools across Canada and the U.S., highlighting the extensive variation in the quality and rigor of programs, and recommending key elements of a medical training program including prerequisite requirements for incoming students, bed-side “clinical” training, faculty engagement in research, and stronger state regulations for state licensure. The fi ndings and recommendations presented in the Flexner Report resulted in the standardization of medical education.

6 Brundtland Commission. Our Common Future. London, England: Oxford University Press; 1987. The Brundtland Com mission was convened by the United Nations in 1983 to address growing concern “about the accelerating deterioration of the human environment and natural resources and the consequences of that deterioration for economic and social development.” It was this Commission and subsequent Report that fi rst clearly outlined the idea of “sustainable development.”

13


1. Demand for a New Type of “Generalist” Development Practitioner

The Commission’s work is anchored in the observation that many professionals working in the fi eld of sustainable development—whether in inter-governmental organizations, developing-country ministries, developed-country aid agencies, non-governmental organizations or academic institutions—are not suffi ciently prepared to surmount the challenges they confront. Working in a fi eld that lies at the intersection of several disciplines, development professionals must be able to gather and extract crucial insights from a broad range of specialized fi elds (e.g. agronomy, anthropology, climate science, economics, medicine) in order to form technically sound conclusions. As key decision makers for policies and programs that affect the lives of thousands or even millions of people, it is essential that they are able to demonstrate basic technical knowledge of core specialized fi elds coupled with refi ned management skills to guide the decision-making process.

While PhDs and other advanced specialists provide signifi cant contributions within distinct fi elds of knowledge, these contributions too often remain circumscribed within the intellectual and institutional silos of their respective disciplines. This results too often in specialists overlooking simple and inexpensive solutions and instead relying on more complex, sector-specifi c approaches.

Commission members, representing a broad range of specialties and expertise, determined that there is an urgent demand for a new type of “generalist” practitioner—the “sustainable development practitioner”—–who understands the complex interactions among fi elds and is able to coordinate and implement effectively by drawing from the insights offered by subject-specifi c specialists. Sustainable development practitioners would fulfi ll a range of roles in government (such as ministers of planning and fi nance), non-governmental organizations (such as regional directors and program managers), the United Nations (resident coordinators, country directors and regional directors), bi-lateral and multi-lateral fi nancial institutions and aid organizations, grant-giving foundations and corporations, and private sector companies working in the context of developing countries.

2. Demand for a New Educational System

To investigate the educational needs of development practitioners and to map out the landscape of existing training programs, the Commission engaged in regional consultations spearheaded by six Regional Coordinators working within Africa, East Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America and South Asia. Consultations included the European Development Training Survey as part of

I I . Diagnosis: The Current State of Sustainable Development Practice

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Final Report 2008

the 2007 conference of European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI); a conference on Training for Sustainable Development in South Asia, hosted by TERI in New Delhi; a U.S.-based survey of training for sustainable development; and extensive interviews, research and meetings in Africa, East Asia and Latin America. Selected fi ndings from these consultations are available on the Commission website (www.earth.columbia.edu/commission). A preliminary scan of relevant graduate degree programs was also conducted by an outside consultant working with the MacArthur Foundation. The summary table in Appendix A lists the university programs highlighted in the scan, along with programs that were reviewed during the regional consultation process. A full list of universities and institutions that participated in the consultation is presented in Appendix B. The fi ndings are presented below.

2.1 Gaps in Graduate-level Degree ProgramsMost academic degrees relevant to sustainable development, whether based in the natural sciences or social sciences, tend toward academic specialization within a particular discipline. While many universities around the world offer graduate degree programs that have a “development” label, typically with a focus on either social sciences or environmental sciences, these offer few opportunities for systematic, cross-disciplinary education or management training. Moreover, many programs that focus on social sciences do so at the expense of imparting essential knowledge of natural sciences or health sciences, and vice versa.

NATURAL SCIENCES

SOCIAL SCIENCES

HEALTH SCIENCES

MANAGEMENT

MISSING LINK

Diagram 1

Missing Linkages Between Fields(Four Spheres)

15


Among these programs, there are no consistent standards for pre-requisite training, core curriculum or program length. In addition, within programs there is great variation in the number of practice-focused faculty versus research-focused professors, despite the observation that students may learn practical skills for policy- and project-focused settings more effi ciently from experienced practitioners. Furthermore, the acquisition of practical skills requires opportunities for refl ective experimentation and “hands-on” experiences, yet few programs stimulate learning around functional and practical knowledge and students’ opportunities for course-related fi eldwork or internships are rare.

Table 1 distills the results of the Commission’s review of current development-focused degree programs. As this fi gure shows, existing degree programs may offer a subset of the required skills for a sustainable development practitioner, but there are no programs that systematically provide students with the relevant skills and knowledge in health sciences, natural sciences and engineering, social sciences, and management while developing practical skills through fi eld-based training.

2.2 Lack of Appropriate Training Programs for Life-long LearningMirroring the shortage of comprehensive, cross-disciplinary degree programs, the Commission fi nds that development professionals have few opportunities for refreshing and upgrading relevant skills throughout their careers. Instead, professional development courses typically focus on management and leadership techniques. These courses are typically offered through an academic institution as “mid-career,” “executive” or “continuing education” courses, through organizations as part of a staff training initiative, or through private companies that provide condensed workshops. While such programs may even be designed for professionals working in development, very


Coverage of Development Knowledge Area

Health Sciences

Natural Sciences

Social Sciences

Management “Hands-on Skills”

Master’s of Public Administration

Master’s of Development Studies

Master’s of Sustainable Development

Master’s of Business and Administration

Master’s of Public Health

Medical Doctor (MD)

Table 1

Scan of Current Degree Programs

16

low coverage

some coverage

more coverage

Final Report 2008

few address the essential cross-disciplinary knowledge and skills required of a sustainable development practitioner.

With no established minimum standards for professional competencies and no opportunities to round out their skills across the range of cross-disciplinary knowledge areas, professionals too often lack the ability to coordinate effectively across the needed range of technical specialists, policy-makers and implementers. On a practical level, there are no reference points for objectively evaluating competencies across disciplines. How does an economist know, for instance, whether a colleague’s disease-related research or prescribed policy meets basic epidemiological standards? Or how does a health specialist know when a colleague’s environment-related policy recommendation adheres to the standards and best practices of environmental sustainability? Such questions highlight the urgent demand for the “generalist” practitioner, defi ned by a new set of professional standards that would incorporate best practices and key competencies from a range of specialized fi elds. While a “generalist” may not have specialized expertise in all of the relevant fi elds, core standards for professional competency would enable her to identify strengths and weaknesses within a proposed policy and to understand the essential questions that must be answered in order to move forward.

As illustrated in Table 2, professionals working in sustainable development represent a broad range of educational backgrounds. Typically, these practitioners focus their professional activities on science and technology, policy, or implementation. Professionals working to identify or improve the best scientifi c or technological advances in the fi eld of development usually are medical doctors or PhDs. Professionals working to design policies, deliver technology or implement interventions represent a broad range of educational

KNOWLEDGE AREA EXAMPLE QUESTION

EDUCATIONALBACKGROUND OFPROFESSIONALS

ADDRESSING ISSUE

Science & Technology What is the best available science? PhDs, MDs

PolicyWhat is the most effective way to navigate the policy environment?

MPAs, MAs, some PhDs

Management and ImplementationWhat is the best way to manage successful interventions?

MPAs, MBAs, BAs, BSs,technical schools, etc.

Table 2

Educational Backgrounds

of Sustainable Development Professionals

17


backgrounds including graduates with professional and undergraduate degrees (MPA, MBA, BA, BS, etc.) as well as practitioners with more limited formal education. In practice, the integration of science and technology in policy and implementation is critical to achieving sustainable development, yet very few professionals are trained and prepared to tackle problems spanning all three knowledge areas.

Within organizations working in sustainable development, the Commission fi nds that in-service training programs generally do not provide staff and management with adequate cross-disciplinary knowledge. Moreover, experts of a specifi c discipline are often promoted to assume ever-greater substantive and managerial responsibilities, but with no corresponding training. While most professionals possess requisite knowledge and skills within a particular fi eld of development, often these experts lack suffi cient training in relevant disciplines outside their fi elds of expertise, compromising their ability to analyze and diagnose complex, multi-faceted problems. Furthermore, they may not have the management skills required to function effectively at their level.

In summary, the clear shortage of comprehensive, cross-disciplinary education and training programs has severe implications within the fi eld, as many professionals lack the ability to forge connections between distinct sectors to design integrated solutions.


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Final Report 2008

RECOMMENDATION 1:Establish the Core Competencies of the Sustainable Development Practitioner

Effective, comprehensive development work requires profi ciency in several cross-disciplinary skill and knowledge areas. These core competencies enable a sustainable development practitioner to analyze the cross-disciplinary nature of development issues; choose a course of action based on sound ability to diagnose the key drivers and the relevant obstacles of a situation, and the practical steps that can most directly affect outcomes; and effectively manage policies, programs and projects.

This work is rooted in each of the four key disciplines that must inform the training of the sustainable development practitioner. Drawing from the key disciplines of health sciences, natural sciences and engineering, social sciences and management, the core competencies defi ne the essential knowledge, skills and attributes of an effective sustainable development practitioner. These include, but are not limited to, the knowledge areas and skill sets listed below.

I I I . Recommendations for Building a New Field of Sustainable Development Practice

Diagram 2

Sustainable Development

Practice at the intersection of the

Four spheres

HEALTH SCIENCES

SOCIAL SCIENCES

MANAGEMENT

SUSTAINABLE

DEVELOPMENT

PRACTICE

NATURAL SCIENCES

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HEALTH SCIENCES

Nutrition—Malnutrition, particularly in pregnant women and children, is a leading cause of disease and death and represents a signifi cant threat to any development effort.

Health and Epidemiology—Development interventions are ineffective if they fail to address the basic life-and-death issues pertaining to child health, reproductive health, maternal health, infectious disease control (such as HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis) and non-communicable disease control. As just one example, child mortality rates in the poorest countries are often 30 to 50 times higher than in industrialized countries. Most interventions to reduce this gap require implementation of basic and proven technologies.

Population Sciences—Population dynamics must be a key consideration in any long- or short-term development strategy. Understanding the strong connection between high fertility rates and poverty, practitioners must have basic knowledge of reproductive health, family planning and voluntary child spacing strategies, as well as interventions to promote gender equality and health education to enable women and men to make informed family planning decisions.

NATURAL SCIENCES & ENGINEERING

Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Management—The majority of people living in extreme poverty throughout the world depend on agriculture, fi sheries and forests for their livelihoods, although biophysical environments vary tremendously both by region and within regions. Food production and rural economic transformation often hinge on animal productivity, crop yields and forest production, which in turn depend on soil fertility, availability of inputs and land management.

Energy—Essential to all aspects of development—including agricultural productivity, access to water, health, education and transportation—is a safe and consistent supply of energy. Well-designed interventions must consider how renewable or non-renewable energy sources will be harnessed and distributed, and the associated economic, environmental and health impacts.

Engineering and Urban and Rural Planning—Public infrastructure is essential to poverty reduction and economic growth, including water supply systems, waste management systems, clean air systems, irrigation systems, roads and transportation systems and telecommunication systems. The strategic design of such systems must also take into account the environmental, economic and social impacts and include appropriate adaptations for predicted changes in climate.

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Environment, Water and Climate Science — Large numbers of the world’s poor live in fragile ecosystems and many developing countries are experiencing severe ecosystem degradation as human settlement expands and natural resources are mined. Evolving ecosystems typically defi ne patterns of disease transmission affecting human, animal and plant health. All of these dynamics are affected by climate patterns, which are shown to be shifting due to anthropogenic climate change. Policy analysis and recommendation is imprudent without a sound understanding of basic environmental, water and climate science.

SOCIAL SCIENCES

Delivery Science—In order to achieve measurable success, development practitioners must know how to strategically apply, implement and deliver prescribed interventions, including technological innovations. Drawing upon the lessons of past successes and failures, practitioners must be able to identify and design the most appropriate and effective means of delivering a given intervention. This requires a keen understanding of the economic, political and logistical factors that must be considered in order to successfully implement and later “scale-up” interventions.

Economics—Microeconomics is essential for understanding the ground-level incentives and practicalities of economic policy design. Macroeconomics is crucial for understanding how programs interact with large-scale government decision-making and budgets, and the movement of goods, resources and services across countries.

Education—A critical component of any long-term development strategy, formal education systems must ensure students acquire the knowledge and skills that will bring them improved quality of life, appropriate competencies to prepare them for the work force, and creative problem solving skills to pave the way for future innovations. Non-formal and community-based education programs are also vital as they catalyze the adoption of improved agricultural, health and sanitation, nutritional and vocational practices, and can play a vital role in peace-building and confl ict resolution.

Politics, Anthropology and Social Studies—To affect long-term structural change, interventions must be designed with careful consideration for the culture, local history, local and regional politics, and political and institutional structures of a given location. In addition, development efforts must take into account power and social relations at various levels: within households, within communities and across societal groups.

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Statistics—The collection and analysis of critical information is essential for project design, management, monitoring and evaluation. In addition, key decision-makers must be able to understand and interpret statistical fi ndings in order to make informed policy decisions and to design appropriate development strategies.

Technology and Innovation Systems—Understanding the intricate network of actors involved in the research, design, development and diffusion of technology is essential in order to create supportive policies and mechanisms for the transfer and fl ow of knowledge and innovation.

MANAGEMENT

Budget Planning, Financial Management and Commodities Management—Sustainable development practitioners must be able to design and manage programs and project budgets with transparency and effi ciency. Knowledge of fi nancial markets, credit and microfi nance is required as well as the procurement, supply chain, production management and distribution of essential commodities. Communications and Negotiation—Project implementation and policy design at the local-, regional- or national-level require keen understanding of power relations and cultural interactions. Practitioners must be able to interact with local community leaders, colleagues, partners and stakeholders from diverse backgrounds and disciplines, as well as coordinate participatory planning processes to implement sustainable development programs. Effective practitioners must also have skills of social entrepreneurship such that they can pull together a variety of political, fi nancial and institutional resources to imagine, build, market and deliver new ideas. In addition, practitioners need to be able to refl ect on their own attitudes, perceptions and biases in terms of how they are formed, and how they affect their choices and performance.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) —Appropriate applications of GIS allow the development practitioner to effectively analyze agricultural, demographical, ecological, environmental, infrastructural, social and other conditions. This information is used to develop comprehensive needs assessments, risk analyses, implementation plans, as well as dynamic monitoring and evaluation tools.

Institutional and Human Resources Management—As professionals advance in their careers, they must be able to lead, mentor and inspire ever-larger numbers of staff subordinates to achieve successful outcomes. Institutional development is a key element in building long-lasting programs that result in valuable, measurable solutions.

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Final Report 2008

Information Systems Design and Management—The rapidly evolving use of information management systems in the fi eld of sustainable development provides growing opportunities for professionals to quickly transmit vital information and key indicators, to share best practices, and to engage in virtual mentorship. Practitioners must be able to collect, monitor and evaluate relevant information to inform and update policy and project implementation.

Project Design and Management—Practitioners need to be able to design and manage work streams that measure progress against clear benchmarks. They often also require strong proposal-writing skills.

Mixed with an understanding of the global and cross-cultural infl uences on development, educational programs grounded in these core competencies would provide a major step forward in preparing professionals to confront the complex challenges of sustainable development.

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RECOMMENDATION 2:Build a Global “Master’s in Development Practice” (MDP) Degree Program

As the cornerstone initiative for the emerging fi eld of sustainable development practice, the Commission proposes the creation of a Master’s in Development Practice (MDP) degree, designed to produce highly skilled “generalist” practitioners prepared to confront complex sustainable development challenges. Four guiding premises defi ne the key elements of the proposed educational system, including the MDP program and the associated professional training programs:

Training for development practitioners should integrate health sciences, natural sciences and engineering, social sciences, and management.Professionals working in the fi eld of sustainable development should have ongoing access to training programs that cover a full range of skills required throughout the professional lifecycle.Educational programs should include a greater practical element by combining the use of case studies, fi eldwork and internships in developing countries.Training programs should be forged through partnerships between institutions and students from the developing and developed world to promote cross-cultural education and collaboration.

While new programs would train “generalist” sustainable development practitioners, the program would also meet the demand of specialists like physicians and PhDs who require means to round out their knowledge base for the practice of sustainable development so that they can effectively contribute to cross-disciplinary teams. Moreover, the rapid pace of scientifi c and technological advancement underscores the need for a “lifecycle” approach to continuing education to continually upgrade professional knowledge and skills of sustainable development practice.

This section outlines the essential components of an effective MDP program including the cross-disciplinary curriculum and complementary learning activities and resources, the recommended student body and associated recruitment strategies, employment opportunities for graduates, indicative budgets, faculty composition, and organizational structures required to support the program.

2.1 MDP Core Curriculum The MDP core curriculum would integrate substantive knowledge spanning the disciplines of health science, social science, natural science and engineering, and management and would be fi rmly grounded in the practices of policy analysis and formation, public administration and program management in order to foster the development of practical, cross-disciplinary skills necessary to prepare students for a practitioner

1.

2.

3.

4.


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Final Report 2008

career in sustainable development. In addition, students would gain a solid understanding of a range of areas including: the political and socio-cultural context of development; data collection methods and statistical analysis used for the planning, monitoring and evaluation of development interventions; and necessary management and leadership skills for implementing interventions. The study of policy and management would also be explored within the context of the technical fi elds, and critical self-refl ection would be supported at all stages of study.

MDP programs would require full-time enrollment of graduate-level students for at least two full years, and would include rigorous study of cross-disciplinary topics spanning the four core disciplines of health science, natural science and engineering, social science, and management. Expanding upon the core competencies of the development practitioner, the specifi c learning outcomes for the MDP program, detailed in Appendix C, identify essential knowledge and skills that each MDP graduate should acquire throughout the course of the program. Students would also be required to demonstrate basic profi ciency in a non-native language, and would have the opportunity to enroll in foreign language classes during the MDP program.

Although the MDP learning outcomes are categorized by discipline and knowledge area, specifi c courses and learning activities would be anchored in an understanding of the inter-relationships among fi elds and course content would integrate cross-disciplinary approaches for sustainable development. While academic institutions with relevant, practice-focused courses may draw from existing courses to establish part of the MDP core curriculum, new courses would also be needed to ensure training across the broad range of knowledge areas. In designing new courses, the list of MDP learning outcomes is recommended as a guide for curriculum planning.

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2.2 Enhancing Curriculum with Case Studies and Practical Exercises To support and enrich the core curriculum, the MDP program would integrate a variety of teaching and learning resources including practical, experiential learning through cross-disciplinary case studies and group projects.

MDP Case StudiesNew case studies, drawing from real-world development challenges, would be designed and incorporated into the MDP curriculum. MDP faculty members, practitioners and development organizations would work in coordination to design and revise MDP cases for the curriculum. Students would be challenged to provide comprehensive and cross-disciplinary recommendations for addressing each case.

Group Projects: Practical Cross-disciplinary ExercisesSince the development of practitioner skills requires “hands-on” fi eld experience, the MDP program would incorporate a variety of practical group projects to take place both inside as well as outside the formal academic setting. The active learning experiences would foster skills in problem solving, critical self-refl ection and teamwork. In addition, they would forge linkages across sectors and encourage students to consider cross-disciplinary approaches to sustainable development.

During each semester of university-based study, students would work in teams to tackle specifi c issues related to poverty reduction and sustainable development. Drawing upon the technical and theoretical knowledge gained from coursework, as well as their past experiences working in development (if applicable), students would have the opportunity to work collaboratively on cross-disciplinary assignments.


Participants in the South Asian Consultation (representing Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri

Lanka) asserted that the core skills of development practitioners are acquired through “learning-by-doing” rather

than formal classroom training. For technical knowledge in subject areas such as economics, research analysis,

management, energy, environmental science, participatory rural appraisal, logical framework, and project appraisal,

both formal training and learning-by-doing contributed to skill acquisition among participants who responded to a

survey.

Participants in the African Consultation emphasized the importance of required practical training programs. Said

one participant, “Students interested in working in Africa need exposure to the real situation on the ground and

should engage in fi eld studies and internships with African development or research institutes. Within the formal

academic setting, courses should incorporate real-life learning materials, such as interviews with farmers, health

workers or development offi cers, as well as case studies or success stories from development agencies.”

The Importance of “Learning-by-doing”

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Final Report 2008

Indicative group assignments include: Producing a comprehensive cross-disciplinary situation analysis for a specifi c region and recommending appropriate policies that would improve local standards of living.Developing an environmental protection plan for a threatened habitat. Developing a climate change adaptation and mitigation strategy for a geographic or political unit.

In each practical exercise, students would build key competencies of teamwork, cross-cultural communication and negotiation, problem analysis, problem solving, fi nancial management, project design and project management.

2.3 Global Learning Resources for Sustainable Development PracticeThe creative integration of appropriate technologies would foster a global, cross-disciplinary educational system promoting a dynamic learning environment, at the same time leveraging a broad range of MDP curriculum resources through the use of technology. While future applications of new technology may be limitless, specifi c early initiatives should include: shared or “open-source” curricula; communication portals for students and faculty including “global” courses; and web-based collaborative activities and exchanges that engage students with development-focused organizations, researchers, and private sector companies.

Open-source Online Resource CenterTo facilitate and strengthen MDP programs around the world, the core MDP curriculum would be supported by an Open-source Online Resource Center where participating teachers and students can access case studies, lesson plans, learning materials, practical tools and educational activities. Practitioners and faculty members at MDP partner universities could also contribute their own materials to this resource center to assist in the development of wide-ranging online curriculum tools that ensure the inclusion of global perspectives.

In addition, as some universities may not be able to support all components of the MDP program in-house, the resource center would be a necessary asset to ensure that students receive a high-level of academic preparation in each of the core disciplines. For example, universities that do not have a strong agriculture department may access the open-source curriculum to receive teaching guides, syllabi, reading materials, lectures and other learning activities.

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Global CoursesMDP programs should also incorporate “global courses” to foster cross-border and cross-disciplinary collaboration and to allow students and teachers to participate in collective assignments and learning experiences. Through web-conferencing, online portals for interactive communications, and shared course management sites, such courses may leverage available technology to enhance MDP programs around the world. They may also be interspersed throughout the curriculum to provide opportunities for students and teachers around the world to exchange insights and ideas. One illustration of these types of global courses is the Commission’s inaugural “Global Classroom” that joined together eleven universities and one development institution in an interactive, online course titled “Integrated Approaches to Sustainable Development Practice.” This global course provided the opportunity for students, faculty and practitioners from around the world to engage in live discussions on a broad range of development issues. Such cross-institutional initiatives are still in the early stages of development, and have enormous potential for exponential growth and refi nement for future collaborations.

On January 22, 2008 the Commission, in partnership with the Columbia Center for New Media Teaching and Learning (CCNMTL), launched a global course entitled: “Integrated Approaches to Sustainable Development Pratice” as a fi rst effort to integrate cross-disciplinary components of sustainable development education. A practical illustration of the MDP curriculum, the global course provided an opportunity for some 240 students from 11 universities around the world and one international development organization to participate in a learning program involving classroom, online and research activities. Commission members, as international experts in the fi eld of sustainable development, provide students with a diverse curriculum focused on core issues of sustainable development. Using a combination of delivery methods including pre-taped lectures, classroom meetings, and simultaneous, online global discussion sessions, the investigation of course topics is grounded in a practical, multi-disciplinary approach focused on the inter-relationship between core fi elds of development practice including agriculture, engineering, economics, environmental science, health and nutrition, policy and management. Each week of the 14-week course showcases one aspect of the multidisciplinary curriculum, with a lecture given by one of the Commissioners.

The eleven universities and one international development organization participating in this fi rst Global Classroom include CIDA (Canadian International Development Agency), Columbia University (US), the Institute for Development Studies at Sussex University (UK), University of Ibadan (Nigeria), Lee Kuan Yew School (Singapore), University of Malaya (Malaysia), Mekelle University (Ethiopia), Sciences-Po (France), The Energy Research Institute/TERI (India), Tsinghua University (China), University of International Business and Economics (China), and Universidad Internacional Del Ecuador (Ecuador).

Global Classroom

III. Recommendations for Building a New Field of Sustainable Development Practice

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2.4 MDP Network Within the network of participating universities, development organizations, research institutions and affi liated organizations, students and faculty members would have the opportunity to participate in fi eld training, internship programs and global exchange programs.

University PartnershipsMDP students may participate in academic exchanges as well as online discussions and collaborative learning activities. Such experiences would provide students with opportunities to learn from another university’s particular area of expertise. Partnership programs could allow students to enroll at a particular university to complete the core requirements in, for example, natural sciences, engineering, and health sciences, and then complete training in social sciences, management, and quantitative and qualitative analysis at another institution. In addition, specialized MDP programs (i.e. programs focusing on a specifi c region or sector of development) may contribute relevant expertise to the curriculum resources and may host MDP students during a semester of specialized study.

Faculty members from MDP partner universities would also have the opportunity to engage in professional exchanges through web-based conferences, face-to-face meetings, short excursions and longer-term exchanges. During the longer-term exchanges, faculty would have the opportunity to teach at another MDP university while receiving guidance and mentorship from other MDP faculty members. Such exchanges would advance the overall skills and teaching capacities of MDP faculty through the cross-fertilization of knowledge, experiences and ideas.

Partnerships with Development OrganizationsAs an integral part of a global development network, development organizations would maintain close connections with MDP partner universities to ensure that the curriculum suffi ciently prepares graduates to work effectively as sustainable development practitioners. In turn, partner universities and institutions would provide support to organizations in the development of training programs, and would play an important role in supporting graduates throughout their professional careers by providing special programs and educational events for alumni.

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2.5 Field Training The Commission recommends fi eld training programs as an essential component of the MDP curriculum. Designed to provide a holisticlearning experience, the fi eld training would encompass a broad set of activities to foster the development of “on-the-job” practical skills, while providing students the opportunity to learn from local development experts. Each MDP student should engage in two distinct fi eld training sessions each lasting three months. In many instances the MDP student will be assigned to a fi eld training organized by a hosting partner institution, thereby allowing broader fi eld exposure (see Diagram 3). These sessions should include all of the following key components:

“Clinical” Training—Working closely with local development organizations or private sector companies involved in sustainable development, host universities would identify appropriate development projects that would be able to integrate students into a structured, “clinical” training program. The aspiring sustainable development practitioners would participate in individual work assignments under the guidance of an experienced professional mentor.

Field-based Academic Programming—Host universities would organize a series of academic events for the visiting students to include site visits, meetings, and lectures focusing on the local challenges to sustainable development. This would provide the students with a forum to jointly refl ect upon their individual fi eldwork, while also providing an opportunity for local faculty to become involved in integrated problem solving approaches.

Social and Cultural Programming—Organized by the host university and partner organizations, students would have the opportunity to participate in group activities and attend cultural events. Student would be expected to be aware of ethical issues that need to be considered vis-à-vis local religious, moral or cultural values.

Field Training Report—Refl ecting upon their experiences, students would complete a consolidated fi eld training report. This report would include a comprehensive analysis of the local conditions (the challenges and opportunities for reducing poverty and a suggested road map for working toward sustainable development); a description of the observed project including the design, monitoring and evaluation process; a general analysis of the project; and a self-evaluation of the student’s perceived weaknesses and strengths in light of the “core competencies of the sustainable development practitioner.”

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Final Report 2008

As a general principle, MDP programs would certainly need to implement minimum procedures to “do no harm,” ensuring that students receive suffi cient mentorship to observe and engage in real-world development interventions without creating added burden or negative consequences within the local context.

When designing a fi eld training program, the following list may be used to assist preparations for the development of a successful program.

Identify partner institutions for training management—Partner universities within the network of affi liated MDP institutions would serve as hosts, program coordinators and supervisors for groups of MDP students, and would work closely with local development organizations to identify appropriate accommodations and to provide orientation, guidance and support services for students.

Organize fi eld training groups—Each fi eld training program would include an average of 20-30 participants, representing four or fi ve MDP partner universities. While students would be able to share experiences with peers from their home institution, the fi eld training program would also provide the opportunity to expand their professional and social network to include students from other MDP universities.

Launch pre-departure programs—Prior to departure for the fi eld training program, all students should explore a broad range of resources in order to gain essential background information relevant to their future site. This may include reviewing human development reports, political analysis, satellite imagery, maps, climate reports, historical accounts of the local populations, health reports, and agricultural, forestry and fi shery production reports. A pre-departure seminar would provide an opportunity for students to learn more about the local cultural norms and context, to present fi ndings from background research, and to participate in training modules for project management and participatory methodologies.

Ensure students have fulfi lled language requirements—Students would be required to have at least an intermediate level of language profi ciency of a major operational language of the fi eld location and some knowledge of the local language, if distinct from the national language.

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Provide on-going support throughout fi eld training—Students should remain in communication with their home institution faculty advisor during their training experience to receive guidance and advice.

Organize de-briefi ng seminar—After completion of the fi eld training program, students and faculty members would convene for a de-briefi ng seminar. During this time, students would present their fi nal training report and refl ect upon what they have learned from the experience.

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COUNTRY “X”

COUNTRY “Y”

MDPUniversity A

Organization 1

Organization 2

MDPUniversity B

Diagram 3

International Field

Training Partnership

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Final Report 2008

2.6 Sample Academic CalendarThe suggested duration of the general MDP program is 25-27 months of full-time graduate-level academic training, of which at least 16 months (4 semesters) would be dedicated to university-based coursework and training in the core curriculum courses. Depending on the student’s desired course load, students may also enroll in 2-3 elective courses or foreign language courses. The rest of the time would be for fi eld training programs and other educational experiences outside the classroom. During each semester of university-based training, students would meet for weekly seminars culminating in a two-week “Cross-disciplinary Practical Exercise.”

It is important to reiterate that although some courses may focus on a particular discipline, it is necessary that every MDP course emphasize learning across disciplines. To ensure that the curriculum is practical and cross-disciplinary, each individual course should be grounded in real-world challenges and the policy and management implications of such challenges. For instance, a course on the environment may focus on the core natural science knowledge, but the investigation of the problems associated with, for instance, increased desertifi cation would require an investigation of relevant agricultural, economic, health and anthropologic factors as well as the associated challenges for policy formation and management.

While the precise sequence of courses, fi eld investigations, group projects and work experiences would vary at each academic institution, the academic calendar outlined below offers a model MDP curriculum that includes a short semester of intensive refresher courses and introductory fi eld seminars, two full years of academic study (4 semesters), and two fi eld training assignments.

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Table 3 Sample 25-month MDP Curriculum

Year 1 Course Credit

August • Intensive Pre-MDP “Boot Camp”—including math/statistics refresher, economics refresher, professional writing and communication practicum

0

• Introductory MDP Field Seminar—field visits to local development projects

0

September - December • Economic and Policy Analysis—microeconomics 3

• Global Classroom: Integrated Approaches to SustainableDevelopment Practice

3

• Tropical Agriculture and Sustainable Development—includes nutrition, health

3

• Global Health 1—population sciences, reproductive health,health policy

3

• MDP Cross-disciplinary Seminar and Practical Exercise 0

January - May • Economic and Policy Analysis II—microeconomics 3

• Practicum: International Energy and Environmental Policy 3

• Managing Multi-sectoral Development Interventions— reflective practice, delivery science, culture, anthropology and ethics

3

• Global Health 2—epidemiology, infectious and non-infectious disease control, health education

3

• Field Study Pre-departure Seminar 2

• MDP Cross-disciplinary Seminar and Practical Exercise 0


June - August • Intensive Field Study program (3 months) 0

September - December • Environmental Sciences—ecology, climate science,water systems, forestry

3

• Macroeconomic Policy and Sustainable Development 3

• Human Ecology and Sustainable Development 3

• Methods of Sustainable Development Practice— participatory planning, project management, community education

3

• Elective—non-native language, unless demonstrated proficiencyis met

3

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Year 2 Cont. Course Credit

January - May • Finance, Accounting and Commodities Management for Development Practice

3

• Science, Technology and Sustainable Development—includes engineering

3

• Advanced Applications of Policy and Planning Tools 3

• Elective—non-native language, unless demonstrated proficiencyis met

3

• Workshop in Development Practice 1


June - August • Applied Field Study (3 months); Global Colloquium for final presentations

Total Credits: 54

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2.7 Variations on the MDP Curriculum The MDP curriculum outlined in this report is not intended to be a “one-size-fi ts-all” degree program. Host institutions may develop specifi c variations of the curriculum to fi t within the local context or the academic culture of participating universities. For example, academic institutions may modify the MDP curriculum to incorporate a regional focus, to include a discipline-based specialization, or to provide complementary skill training within a specialized program of study. Any variation, however, should be anchored in the core competencies outlined earlier in this report. Regional VariationsConsultations with academic institutions from around the world have confi rmed support for the creation of distinct, regionally-focused MDP “hub” programs. The function of the regional MDP hubs would be two-fold: they would be able to pool academic and fi nancial resources to support the MDP program, and at the same time they would establish themselves as regional centers of expertise in sustainable development.

For instance, in Africa and in Southeast Asia, regional education centers could be formed to draw together academic and fi nancial resources from throughout the region to ensure that the MDP students have access to the range of academic disciplines and educational activities that are central to the overarching goals of the MDP program.

In other cases, universities may draw upon region-specifi c knowledge to design their MDP curriculum. For example, the University of Central Asia plans to include a focus on mountain communities within the MDP curriculum to address the particular conditions and challenges to development faced by indigenous communities living in mountainous regions. Similarly, Mekelle University in Ethiopia plans to build an MDP curriculum with a particular focus on dry-land agriculture and development. Likewise, University of São Paulo in Brazil has expressed its interest in an MDP curriculum with a focus on sustainable development within the Amazon.

Specialized ProgramsIn addition to the regional variations on the MDP degree, some students may wish to pursue a specialization in a specifi c fi eld. While the two-year program outlined in this report provides rigorous training for generalist sustainable development practitioners, students may also have the option of enrolling in an extended (i.e. 32-month) program that would allow deeper study of a chosen area.

Specialized programs may be based on concentrations in a particular fi eld


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of development (i.e. agriculture, economics, engineering, environment or health), or they may focus on a particular region. Students with a regional focus would be required, if possible, to spend their fi nal semester enrolled at a partner MDP program within that region (e.g., students with the “Central Asia and Mountain Communities” concentration would complete one semester of study at the University of Central Asia, participating in classes and fi eld experiences relevant to their specialization).

Condensed MDP Programs to Complement Specialized Degree Programs An abbreviated version of the MDP curriculum may be offered to students pursuing specialized degrees in relevant development fi elds. Such programs would include core coursework in the MDP disciplines to complement Doctoral- and Master’s-level programs in fi elds such as public health, medicine, agriculture, economics, environmental science, and other core fi elds of sustainable development. By incorporating the “development practice” focus within a specialized degree program, students would have the opportunity to round out their skill set, enabling them to successfully work across disciplines to coordinate interventions.

2.8 Program Administration and Organizational Structure for New MDP Programs

In forming new MDP programs, each participating university should establish appropriate organizational structures to support program administration. While partner programs would be able to access shared, global curricula through the online learning resource center, each university would be responsible for directly overseeing the local management of the MDP program including academic planning, student recruitment and support services, as well as faculty support.

The following provides general guidance for the establishment of new programs, with the understanding that unique modifi cations may occur in each case.

Program Administration and Organizational Structure As the MDP program draws from a range of academic disciplines, strategic coordination and institutional support is required in order to ensure effective management of the degree program. Each MDP program should be housed within a university department, institute or affi liated center that is capable of bridging together academics and practitioners from a range of disciplines and academic departments. A school of policy or public administration may serve as a logical home base for an MDP program if it is able to effectively integrate faculty from health sciences, natural sciences and engineering.

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After determining the institutional home base for a new MDP program, the program’s administrative offi ce should be established including the program director and support staff. As selection of the program director may greatly infl uence the success of the program, recommended hiring criteria would provide guidance in choosing the best candidate. Such criteria would include: substantial professional experience working in the fi eld of sustainable development; ability to coordinate with a diverse range of stakeholders including academic departments, faculty, students, development agencies, practitioners and government representatives; and proven ability to manage staff and faculty. A senior member of the university faculty would typically be chosen as program director.

Employment Opportunities for GraduatesA key incentive for students interested in pursuing the MDP degree would be the prospect of advancing their career in the fi eld of sustainable development as sustainable development practitioners. Potential employers include UN agencies, government ministries, foundations, bi-lateral and multi-lateral fi nancial institutions, national and international non-government organizations, as well as private companies working in developing countries. Graduates may serve as, for example, development offi cers, program managers, country directors, ministers of fi nance or planning, policy advisors, and so on. Within organizations, graduates may pursue two basic tracks: the “generalist” manager and coordinator or the “specialist” manager and coordinator. The specifi c track that a graduate pursues would depend on the individual’s past training and experiences, as well as their professional interests.

After completing a rigorous, cross-disciplinary academic program embedded in practical exercises and fi eld training experiences, the typical MDP graduate should be well positioned to secure a job as a sustainable development practitioner. The offi cial launch of new programs should be advertised to an extended network of development organizations to ensure organizations working in development actively recruit and hire MDP graduates. In addition, under the supervision of host MDP universities, students would partner with local organizations during fi eld training and internship programs. Such ongoing collaboration between the universities and the organizations would further strengthen the “employer pipeline.”


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Final Report 2008

RecruitmentA diverse student body would provide a wealth of perspectives and opportunities for cross-cultural interaction. The Commission recommends that each MDP program aim to create a student body that includes a minimum of students (perhaps 30%) from areas outside of the university’s regional home. In addition, universities in developed countries should ensure that roughly half of the students come from developing countries. Ideally, more than half of all students in each program would already have had some professional experience working in a fi eld related to sustainable development.

In order to attract qualifi ed students, MDP programs must employ vigorous recruitment strategies. Universities should continually market the MDP program to development organizations, emphasizing the practical, real-world applications of the core competencies developed through the MDP program. Organizations and agencies working in development may also recommend the program as a pre-employment entry requirement for future staff or as a skill-upgrading option for current staff that may be interested in participating in a longer-term professional development program. MDP marketing would not only serve to attract potential students, but at the same time it would strengthen the ties between universities, development agencies, governments, foundations, and others within the network of global development practitioners.

The ability to assemble a diverse student body would depend on the program’s capacity to provide suffi cient fi nancial aid, housing, and living stipends for qualifi ed students. This would include fi nancial support for students participating in the fi eld training exchanges with partner MDP universities. Many applicants from developing countries or with scarce fi nancial resources may not be able to afford the tuition for the MDP program and may not have the luxury of sacrifi cing their potential income to participate in a 25- or 27-month-long academic program. In order to encourage such candidates to apply, the MDP program must provide qualifi ed students with tuition assistance and full scholarships. Substantial funding would be required to support student scholarships and universities should partner with foundations, governments and fi nancial organizations to sponsor qualifi ed students.

39


Prerequisites Although students would represent diverse backgrounds, specifi c prerequisites would be required for all incoming students to ensure that they are suffi ciently prepared for the advanced subject matter covered in the MDP program. Specifi cally, all prospective students should have completed at least a Bachelor’s degree at an accredited university and most should have some experience working in a fi eld relevant to sustainable development. Foundation classes for the MDP include coursework in physics, chemistry, biology, economics, math and statistics, and qualifi ed students who have not completed all foundation classes may be required to take additional courses during the MDP program. Admission to the MDP program would be highly competitive and all applicants should be required to submit transcripts, resumes, test scores (such as the GRE, where appropriate), writing samples and personal statements of motivation.

MDP FacultyProgram faculty should include a cross-section of practice-focused and research-focused academics and professionals with expertise spanning the four core disciplines of sustainable development (health sciences, natural sciences and engineering, social sciences, and management). Some universities may be able to draw from existing faculty members to teach in the MDP program. In other cases, MDP program directors may have to launch a recruitment campaign to target leading practitioners within each of the core fi elds. Ideally, at least half of these experts would be recruited from senior ranks of development-focused organizations, including non-governmental organizations, international fi nancial institutions, government ministries and agencies, and multilateral organizations. To attract the most qualifi ed faculty, academic institutions will likely need to offer competitive compensation packages that include housing benefi ts, research stipends and competitive salary, with innovative tenure-track options for practice-focused academic faculty.

A lead faculty representative should be designated from each of the four core disciplines. Essential responsibilities for lead faculty members should include serving as advisors and mentors to a group of fi ve to ten students per year, working with students on joint research and projects, aiding students in elaborating their plans for fi eld training programs, and assisting the students in the transition from the MDP program to a professional career.


40

Final Report 2008

Timeline for Launching MDP ProgramThe following provides a general timeline for the fi rst three years of launching a new MDP program:

Year 1

January• Conduct inter-departmental meetings, fi nalize plans for the

establishment of the program in the home-base institution

March • Secure start-up funding

May • Recruit and hire Program Director, begin faculty recruitment

June• Recruit and hire program staff, develop student recruitment

materials, build program website, continue faculty recruitment

July - Sept• Launch student recruitment campaign, coordinate with de-

velopment organizations to market MDP degree and secure employer pipeline

Oct - Dec • Regional information meetings for MDP candidates

Year 2

January• Hire faculty and junior faculty to begin work in August, ap-

plications due for MDP candidates

February • Review student applications

March• Admissions offers sent to qualifi ed students, fi nancial aid of-

fers presented to qualifi ed students

April • Open house for admitted students

May• Review and refi ne MDP curriculum, fi nalize plans for program

launch in August

August• PROGRAM LAUNCH—Student orientation and summer session

begins

Table 4

18-Month

Launch

Schedule for

New MDP

Program

41


Financial Model and BudgetThe launch of each MDP program would require fi nancial support for the start-up costs associated with program development and administration as well as student and faculty recruitment. Financial models for the long-term support for MDP programs would differ at each educational institution depending on the varied costs of program administration, faculty support and scholarship awards, as well the projected enrollment rates and the varied levels of external support and tuition revenue.


Staff Salaries • Program Director (1)

• Program Staff (2-3), Financial Administration (1)

Administrative Support • Office Supplies, Postage, Telephone, Copying & Printing

• Audio-Visual & IT Support

• IT Applications & Software, IT Equipment

• Maintenance

Academic Meetings& Events

• Development Practice Exercise

• General Meetings

• Graduation

• Memberships & Subscriptions

New Faculty Recruitment • Travel & Accommodation

• Recruitment Materials

Faculty & Teaching Support • Senior Faculty (2-3)

• Junior Faculty (3-4)

• Adjunct Professor (2-3), Teaching Assistants

• Research & Travel Support, Honoraria

Student Recruitment & Admissions • Advertising & PR, Website Design & Maintenance

• Photographic Services & Publications

• Recruitment Travel & Accommodation

• Student Open House

• Student Scholarships

Academic Programming • Consultation Services (curriculum, syllabai, etc.)

• Identifi cation of Field Sites

Table 5

Typical Program Expenditures

42

Final Report 2008

RECOMMENDATION 3:Provide Ongoing Professional Development for Practitioners

To maintain the highest level of knowledge and effectiveness, development practitioners require opportunities to engage in cross-disciplinary learning throughout their professional careers. Dynamic and interactive resources for professional development should be made available through a network of sustainable devel opment institutions and organizations.

As an entry point into the vast possibilities of ongoing professional development, the Commission recommends the following core initiatives within academic institutions: the development of condensed “mid-career” MDP programs to be offered in coordination with the MDP partner universities and academic intuitions, as well as the development of shortened, virtual learning and certifi cation programs focusing on the core competencies of sustainable development practitioners. Within development organizations, the Commission proposes the establishment of cross-disciplinary induction training for staff transitioning to a higher level on the career path as well as competency-based criteria for promotion to senior-level positions. These initiatives would also be supported by the activation of a professional network through the establishment of accreditation boards, academic journals, and networking activities, as discussed in the following section.

3.1 Within Academic InstitutionsThrough the development of the MDP curriculum including case studies, research, teaching guides and interactive learning tools, the MDP Network will build a wealth of cross-disciplinary resources for training and education, much of which will be available in the Open-source Online Resource Center. These resources may also be modifi ed to fi t the needs of professionals already working within the fi eld of sustainable development practice. In addition, technology-based learning resources may be incorporated into online modules or certifi cation programs. Condensed “Mid-career” MDP TrainingProfessionals who have extensive experience working in sustainable development yet would like to expand and refi ne their cross-disciplinary knowledge and skills may enroll in condensed MDP programs that would be offered through MDP partner universities. Drawing from the example curriculum for the full MDP program, academic institutions would be able to create accelerated degree or certifi cation programs to mid-career professionals.

The following provides an example of a condensed mid-career degree program for the sustainable development practitioner based on Columbia University’s Program on Economic Policy Management (PEPM) at the

43


School of International and Public Affairs. This proposed 14-month program includes the core economics, policy and management courses from the PEPM curriculum, while incorporating coursework from the key MDP disciplines. The abridged timeframe does not allow time for the extensive fi eld training component of the full MDP program; however, as mid-career professionals, the PEPM-MDP students should already have fi rst-hand development experience before entering the academic program. In place of fi eld training, PEPM-MDP students would have the opportunity to apply their new knowledge in a practical setting during the three-month internship component.


Schedule Course Competencies

Summer 1

(12 Credits) PEPM Core:

• Quantitative Methods for Economic Analysis

• Applied mathematics and statistics including a review of data collection and analysis, probability, sampling, estimation, hypothesis testing, correla-tion and simple regression

• Macroeconomics and Microeconomics

• Basic principles and theories of micro and mac-roeconomics, applied to context of dev. countries

• Computer Skills for Eco-nomic Policy Management

• Computer skills

• Effective Professional Writ-ing and Public Speaking

• Communication (written and oral)

Sustainable Development Practice Concentration(Columbia Courses):

• Fundamental Energy Concepts (3-days)

• Energy conversions; global energy fl ows; basic physical, business and market structures of oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear, electricity production transportation/transmission, distribution and demand

• 5 day introductory practi-cum on cross-disciplinary development challenges (NEW)

• Project management, critical problem solving, leadership skills, negotiation skills, facilitation skills

Fall


• Macroeconomic Policy Management • Macro/Micro economics; key policies; growth

strategies• Microeconomic Policy Management

• Econometric Techniques for Policy Makers

• Applied statistics for policy (linear and multiple regression, specifi cation tests, forecasting, limited dependent variable models, and logistic regression)

Table 6

“Sustainable Development Practice”

PEPM Concentration

44

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Final Report 2008

Schedule Course Competencies

Sustainable Development Practice Concentration (Columbia Courses):

• Environmental Science for Sustainable Development

• Earth systems and climate science; water resource management; ecology/ biodiversity; public health/ epidemiology

• Tropical Agriculture and Sustainable Development

• Agriculture, crop breeding, soil science, nutrition, forestry, fi sheries, livestock management, food aid/ politics

• Introduction to Global Public Health

• Public health policy; health delivery systems;

Spring


• Macroeconomics and Fi-nancial Issues in a Global Context

• Macroeconomic policies for internal and external stabilization, international banking, and fi nancial markets

• Public Economics and International Trade

• International trade; key private and social incentives to develop human capital and maintain income growth

• Management Skills for Policy Makers

• Organizational management, human resource management, communication, public fi nance

• Political Economy of Development

• Development theory, governance, human rights, the infl uence of culture, religion, gender

Sustainable Development Practice

(Columbia Courses):

• Technical Innovations in Sustainable Development (1.5 credits)

• Technology and infrastructure

• Water Resources in Sus-tainable Development (1.5)

• Water supply systems, water storage and irrigation

• Geographic Informa-tion Systems (GIS) for Resource, Environmental and Infrastructure Man-agement

• GIS for planning and management of resources and infrastructure

CROSS-DISCIPLINARY SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PRACTICUM

Summer 2

(6 Credits) • Internship

Table 6 Cont.

Concentration

45


Condensed Part-time ModulesAccounting for the varied needs and time constraints of development professionals, particularly the opportunity cost associated with enrolling in full-time mid-career education programs, institutions could also develop an assortment of part-time programs in sustainable development practice, ranging from short (1-2 week) intensive modules to online degree programs. Some such modules may also be offered as certifi cation courses, described more below.

3.2 Organization-based Initiatives Organizations tasked with the responsibility of planning or managing sustainable development interventions require leaders who are able to integrate cross-disciplinary knowledge and skills into their daily operations. Appreciating the broad spectrum of organizations working in the fi eld of sustainable development, the Commission proposes the following three general recommendations for advancing and ensuring core competencies within such organizations: (1) cross-disciplinary induction training for staff; (2) staff rotations and exchanges; and (3) competency-based criteria for promotion to senior-level positions. These recommendations can be adapted to fi t within the appropriate organizational context.

Induction and In-service Training ProgramsCondensed, cross-disciplinary training programs should be required of staff transitioning to new assignments that involve the coordination or planning of multi-sectoral interventions. Such programs would ensure that individuals have received suffi cient preparation across the range of sustainable development competencies before assuming new responsibilities. They should specifi cally target those responsible for leading, managing or infl uencing complex interventions such as program managers, country representatives, regional managers, ministers of planning, and so on.

In many organizations, training for incoming staff includes core modules in program management and organizational operations. However to more fully prepare a new sustainable development professional, additional substantive content areas must be included such as: environmental sustainability, climate change, econometric methods and decision-making tools, public health management, innovations in infrastructure, and energy systems for sustainable development. Existing modules on management and leadership should integrate practical exercises to develop core skills of communication, fi nancial management, human resources management, monitoring and evaluation, and project management.


46

Final Report 2008

To provide guidance to organizations as they identify the core content areas of a comprehensive training program, the MDP learning outcomes may serve as a reference point for induction training. Organization-based training programs would likely not be able to delve into the key disciplines of the MDP program at the same level of depth as a full-length graduate degree program; however, condensed, cross-disciplinary modules may be created to provide practitioners with the key concepts essential to the practice of sustainable development.

As one example of a cross-disciplinary module that could be part of a typical induction training program, staff members could participate in an intensive course in food production management that would analyze the key factors affecting agricultural, ecological, economic, health and social systems relevant to improved food production. A brief description of this example module is found in Appendix D. As illustrated in this example, all core substantive modules should be grounded in technical knowledge, policy and management, and should emphasize cross-sectoral challenges and solutions.

Staff Rotations and ExchangesAlternative strategies for in-service training could also include exchanges between organizations and university-based professional schools to encourage integrated project planning. Staff should also engage in short “rotations” across the other areas of expertise to ensure that they have the opportunity to test and apply basic knowledge of challenges within each fi eld, plus the basic technical language employed by the different groups of experts. Junior staff should receive systematic feedback and evaluation from senior specialist staff across the relevant range of substantive and managerial skills.

Competency-based Criteria for Promotion and Certifi cation Those in an organization’s senior-level positions typically set the standards and tone for all staff. The majority of senior-level positions within development-focused organizations require “generalist” practitioner competencies as outlined in this report in order to effectively coordinate across sectors and to plan and manage complex development interventions. Many senior-level staff members may have entered their organizations as specialists in a particular fi eld of development (i.e. agriculture, economics, education, nutrition, and so on) and may have never had the opportunity to round out their skills in other core areas. Many others may have focused their time on program management, and not had the opportunity to stay abreast of the latest research and evidence pertaining to their fi eld. Development organizations should implement competency-based criteria for promotion to senior-level positions, and map out clear opportunities

47


for obtaining those competences through skill upgrading or refresher courses. This would be important to ensure that all senior-level staff members demonstrate the essential skills and competencies relevant to their role. It would also help set incentives for junior staff to develop cross-disciplinary competencies as a path to career advancement. Competency criteria would vary depending on organizational context and defi ned roles. However the core competencies and the MDP learning outcomes outlined in this report may provide guidance to organizations as they determine specifi c promotion criteria.

As an effective method to ensure professionals have obtained a core level of knowledge and skill in a particular area, certifi cation systems should be considered within the fi eld of sustainable development. Each organization should evaluate the unique blend of certifi cation needs at different levels of seniority. Certifi cation requirements should be tied to learning outcomes rather than particular courses or requirements. A professional may decide which methods or instruments they would use to acquire the skills and competencies. Tests and other measures can be utilized to assess skill profi ciency. Eventually, certifi cation systems may be carried out by national or international certifi cation bodies.


48

Final Report 2008

RECOMMENDATION 4:Establish the MDP Secretariat and International Advisory Board

To serve as the umbrella overseeing all MDP activities around the world, the Commission recommends establishing a strategically designed MDP Secretariat. The Secretariat’s role would range from establishing MDP curriculum standards to representing the MDP at major academic forums. An International Advisory Board comprised of practitioners, academics and MDP program directors would also be created to provide ongoing impartial advice to the Secretariat and facilitate the MDP network’s engagement with other academic and professional communities. Together, these bodies would manage and coordinate collaborative exchanges, educational resources, publications and events.

4.1 Key Responsibilities of MDP SecretariatThe Secretariat’s immediate and intermediate responsibilities would include:

Coordinating the MDP Global Network that would serve to scaffold the building of new training and education programs that integrate international, cross-cultural and cross-disciplinary teaching and learning experiences. This dynamic network would include academic institutions, development organizations, government agencies, individual practitioners, and donors involved with this program.

Managing the development of the MDP curriculum at institutions around the world by overseeing teaching guides, lesson plans, case studies, assignments and practical teaching tools.

Supporting the Open-source Online Resource Center for participating institutions. The community of sustainable development practitioners would contribute to a dynamic repository of educational resources and tools including case studies, lectures, manuals, and so on. Such resources would not only support MDP programs, but also in-service training programs, certifi cation programs, and continuing education programs for professionals working in sustainable development.

Coordinating global courses with MDP partner universities to provide the opportunity for students to engage in collaborative assignments and interactive discussions to build a community of cross-border problem-solvers. Courses may be developed to target specifi c levels of professional development (graduate-level, junior professional, senior-

•

•

•

•

49


level generalist, and specialist), to connect learners from around the world to participate in interactive learning modules. Courses should also include case studies, collaborative learning activities and opportunities for cross-cultural exchanges to reinforce linkages between practitioners and academic institutions to encourage an ongoing exchange of knowledge and practical experience.

Establishing eligibility guidelines for academic institutions interested in creating an MDP program. These guidelines would be developed with the International Advisory Board.

Identifying new participant institutions in conjunction with donors and development organizations.

Serving as the public face of the global MDP program at conferences, events and before the press.

Stewarding relationships with donors, both existing and potential, and serving as the liaison between donors, institutions and other key participants.

In the future and in close concert with the International Advisory Board along with a broad range of expert academics and practitioners, the Secretariat’s role would include:

Establishing curriculum standards and accreditation based on the core competencies of sustainable development practice and corresponding learning outcomes for the MDP. Spearheaded by the International Advisory Board and in consultation with a broad range of expert academics and practitioners, accreditation standards should adhere to the core competencies of the generalist sustainable development practitioner.

Creating certifi cation programs in close coordination with MDP program directors and faculty to ensure profi ciency in professional competencies. Innovative systems may be established to measure existing competencies, such as online “sustainable development IQ tests,” which may be used to identify gaps in knowledge and skills areas.

Reviewing MDP curriculum periodically to ensure that the program remains up-to-date and relevant, addressing recent technological innovations, scientifi c discoveries, or emerging challenges to sustainable development.

•

•

•

•

•

•

•


50

Final Report 2008

Strong leadership from the MDP Secretariat and International Advisory Board would be crucial to the success of the MDP program. Without their support and guidance, individual institutions may be able to offer distinct pieces of the proposed curriculum, yet they would be challenged to support a comprehensive MDP degree complete with all the various coursework, fi eld training and other components that rely on well-coordinated global partnerships and rigorous cross-disciplinary degree standards.

51

Final Report 2008

Through the course of its work, the Commission has been able to help mobilize a global network of efforts that are already providing momentum to its recommendations. There is clearly strong global demand for a cross-disciplinary education system to train the next generation of sustainable development practitioners. As this report goes to press, several universities are already preparing their own plans to launch Master’s in Development Practice programs (see Appendix E). The very fi rst group of students is scheduled to begin classes in August of 2009. And the newly formed MDP Secretariat is already at work to support the global MDP network and the new MDP degree programs.

In addition, throughout the past year the Commission’s regional coordinators have actively engaged regional partners to comment on the emerging fi ndings and to help launch new initiatives. Plans for the development of new MDP programs are already underway at several institutions around the world, and these institutions will collectively form the fi rst phase of the MDP Network. In addition, universities that participated in the pilot Global Classroom in early 2008 are now repeating the course in a new semester, as part of an expanded network. These institutions will undoubtedly continue to work in coordination with the Commission and the Secretariat to refi ne the MDP curriculum, identify funding strategies, and participate in cross-institutional exchanges. Eligible universities within the MDP network may work with the Commission and the MacArthur Foundation to develop their own MDP programs and contribute to the Open-source Online Resource Center.

The implementation of the Commission’s recommendations would be a fundamental step forward for the practice of sustainable development. At the same time, the creation of new education programs alone will be insuffi cient in affecting long-term change. Coordinated efforts to revise and expand the ideas presented in this report will be needed to respond to the dynamic nature of sustainable development, and the evolving technologies that are empowering ever-richer forms of global communication and curriculum development. Innovative tools should continually be developed to effectively teach competencies and to measure and test competency development.

In a fragile planet that requires management of countless complex and delicate natural and social systems, future generations will require all the cross-disciplinary expertise that they can muster. By activating a vibrant network of academic institutions, development organizations, research institutions, governments and donors to engage in cross-disciplinary problem solving on an ongoing basis, the Commission’s hopes its recommendations are poised to play a dynamic and constructive role in advancing the long-term sustainable development on which the world depends.

V. Conclusion

55

International Commission on Education for Sustainable Development Practice5

Appendix

Summary Table of Graduate Degree Programs in Development

List of Consulted Institutions and Organizations

MDP Learning Outcomes

Example Training Module: Food Production Management

Partner Universities in the Commission’s Early Initiatives

Biographies of Commission Members

A

B

C

D

E

F

56

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Final Report 2008

Appendix C MDP Learning Outcomes

Health Sciences

61

Competency Area

Intended Learning Outcomes

Core Knowledge Policy Management

Nutrition • Basic nutritional and caloric requirements for human populations

• Major causes of malnutrition and its affect on human development and economic growth

• Knowledge of policies to support increased investments in nutrition and health programs

• Policies to support school-feeding programs

• Policies and insurance to protect poor against food insecurity due to drought, fl oods and other risks

• Assessing nutritional needs for a local population and designing interventions to effectively address those needs

• Designing, managing and implementing local nutrition programs such as school feeding programs and seed banks

Health and Epidemiology

• Basic epidemiology of infectious and non-communicable disease

• Tropical disease epidemiology and vector control

• Control and prevention strategies used to combat infectious and non-communicable diseases in developing countries

• Priority initiatives to improve child health and survival

• Risk reductions strategies to mitigate the effect of behavior of environmental contaminants (chemical, physical or other exposures) on human populations

• Epidemiologic methods used to measure disease rates, and their use in the development and evaluation of health programs and policies, and in prevention of infectious diseases

• Policies and regulations required to support quality health systems in resource-poor settings

• Rational and informed approaches to health policy formation

• Financing mechanisms for health and development

• Managing health delivery systems including infrastructure, medical supply chain management, and human resource management

• Effective and appropriate

techniques used in community health education to promote improved sanitation and hygiene, to prevent disease and injury, and to promote community participation and local management of the health care system


Appendix C cont. MDP Learning Outcomes

Health Sciences

Competency Area



Population Science

• Key interventions required to improve access to quality maternal health, reproductive health and family planning services

• Reproductive health, family planning and child spacing strategies

• Connections between high fertility rates and poverty

• Policies to promote gender equality and health education to enable women and men to make informed family planning decisions

• Assessing the health status of a population to identify priority areas for intervention and developing appropriate frameworks for action to address priority health issues

62

Final Report 2008

Natural Sciences


63

Competency Area



Agriculture, Forestry and

Fisheries Management

• Sustainable agriculture, forestry, and fi sheries practices, technologies and innovations

• Factors affecting land degradation, soil fertility, plant growth, pest control, forestry, fi sheries and animal production, and the associated economic, environmental and social implications

• Use of science, engineering and technology to improve agricultural productivity in hostile land (i.e. improved drought resistance, salt tolerance, etc.)

• Supportive infrastructure for agricultural production including irrigation systems, markets and research

• Ecological impacts of agriculture, pesticides and land degradation

• Impacts of climate change and related adaptation measures including: agricultural practices, crop cycles and crop mix

• Policies affecting food security and market stability

• Policies and factors affecting land tenure, access to water, inputs and credit

• Indicators and mapping systems for national food insecurity and vulnerability and their applications in risk assessment, policy and practice, as well as the link between population dynamics, resource management and food insecurity

• Policies to ensure adequate income for farmers through the diversifi cation of activities

• Managing sustainable agricultural practices in the fi eld (education, community participation, and local and national management strategies)

• Developing fi nancing models for national scale programs, including the integration of public and private partnerships

• Developing comprehensive and appropriate interventions, which integrate local knowledge with international experience to target food production, land use, water management, and access to the domestic, national and international markets

• Implementing capacity and skill-building programs to encourage the participation of farmers in local, regional and global markets


Natural Sciences


Competency Area



Energy • Basic concepts of energy conversions and global energy fl ows

• Basic business and market structures of oil, natural gas, coal, and nuclear electricity including production, transportation, transmission, distribution and demand

• Renewable and non-renewable energy sources, and their associated economic, environmental and health impacts

• Energy effi ciency and conservation

• Geopolitics of natural resource extraction

• Policies affecting the use and distribution of energy, and the fi nancing of energy sources

• Critical problem analysis and problem solving to identify appropriate, affordable, assessable, and sustainable solutions to challenges such as power production, transportation, distribution and demand

• Analysis of technical alternatives and cost-benefi ts for renewable sources of energy including the potential for carbon-credits

64

Final Report 2008

Natural Sciences


Competency Area



Engineering and

Urban and Rural Planning

• The impact of technology and infrastructure on economic, environmental and socio-cultural systems

• Water supply systems including management, treatment, sanitation and protection

• Basic concepts and working models for water storage and irrigation

• Waste management systems and the associated issues of treatment and land use

• Basic concepts and working models for clean air systems, telecommunications systems, uninterruptible power supply systems, and clean water and sanitation for hospitals and clinics

• Roads and transportation systems, including workable designs for rural roads, and their impact on economic, environmental and socio-cultural systems

• Rural and urban planning including an understanding of current trends of urbanization in developing countries, growth management policies, and relevant theories

• Policies affecting water supply and sanitation, irrigation, and drainage

• Policies affecting solid waste, hazardous waste and wastewater, and the associated economic, environmental and health impacts

• Policies affecting transportation, urban growth and rural development

• Planning and managing infrastructure projects

• Planning and managing equitable distribution of essential resources such as water

• Critical problem analysis and problem solving to identify appropriate, affordable, assessable and sustainable solutions to development challenges such as transportation, water and wastewater systems, and telecommunication systems

• Disaster management including preparation, post-disaster planning, and the construction of temporary facilities and basic services

65


Competency Area



Environment, Water and

Climate Science

• Fundamental principles of evolutionary and ecological processes

• Fundamental principles and dynamics of the ecosystem and climate science

• Physical processes of natural disasters and the resulting challenges to sustainable development

• Human interaction and response to climate and ecology, with special emphasis on deforestation and desertifi cation

• Engineering measures designed to protect against soil erosion and deforestation, and to prevent the encroachment of designated animal sanctuaries and habitats

• The impact of evolutionary and ecological processes on conservation efforts, agricultural production and the management of forests and fi sheries

• Local and global environmental protection policies, and the use and implications of deforestation policies and anti-pollution laws

• Approaches for analysis of carbon accounting for different land use systems

• Models used to predict climate change, their use in risk assessment, and their applications in policy and practice

• Local and national management of environmental protection programs

• Developing strategies to promote protection and conservation of water resources through coordinated efforts of governments and communities

• Managing interventions to control vectors, pests and weeds

• Management options to change land use systems to generate carbon credits

Natural Sciences


66

Final Report 2008

Social Sciences


67

Competency Area



Delivery Science

• Drawing upon knowledge of the successes and failures of past interventions, ability to analyze the key determinants that may affect the successful delivery of a specifi c technology or intervention

• Ability to apply understanding of relevant economic, political and logistical factors, as well as the social and cultural context in order to design an effective strategy to “scale-up” interventions

• Ability to design and adjust appropriate delivery strategies to achieve an intervention’s desired outcome

Economics • Micro and macro economic principles and their application within the context of developing countries

• Mechanisms to promote long-term economic growth

• Global patterns of economic growth and development, and the forces and mechanisms that drive trade and investment

• Patterns and mechanisms of urbanization and their implications for labor markets, migration, productivity, environment and income

• Tools and methods used to measure poverty and growth

• Economic models used for risk analysis and cost-benefi t analysis related to technology development, climate change, health policies, educational planning, etc.

• Key policies used to confront the economic impacts of natural disasters and war, and to promote poverty reduction and sustainable growth

• Models of infl ation and price stabilization and their application in the context of developing economies

• Key private and social incentives and inputs to develop human capital and maintain income growth and their affect on household decisions in education, gender allocations, fertility, health, nutrition, land use, microenterprise development, etc.

• Developing appropriate economic growth strategies to combat poverty and inequality while taking into account the social, demographical, economical environmental, and political contexts in developing economies

• Development planning process and distinct roles of government agencies and international fi nancial institutions


Social Sciences


Competency Area



Education • Key factors that affect access to quality formal education and measures to ensure equitable access for marginalized and vulnerable populations

• Structure and basic components of education systems in centralized and decentralized contexts

• Incentive systems used to improve quality of and access to education

• Recruitment, incentives, training, and professional development strategies to support effective teaching

• Effective emergency, non-formal, vocational, and adult education programs, and the successes and failures of such programs in a range of contexts

• Effective teaching techniques for conducting classes, trainings or presentations

• System modeling skills to project requirements for future resources and inputs, and the applied use of dynamic models to determine appropriate improvement strategies

• Providing leadership and support to education planners at the local and national level

• Establishing and supporting effective systems for monitoring and evaluating the quality, effi ciency, and effectiveness of an education system, incorporating data collected through coherent education management information systems (EMIS)

Politics, Anthropology

and Social Studies

• Methods for participatory planning and evaluation

• Key concepts and theories of social dynamics, including culture, power, and social relations within households, communities, and across societal groups

• Human rights, with an emphasis on the rights of children, women and vulnerable populations

• International treaties, trade law, migration law and governance

• Politics of confl ict, racism and forced migration

• Institutional and political mapping skills to apply in participatory planning for problem solving

• Facilitation skills and ability to apply participatory methodologies to promote community organization, education, and mobilization for the local management of development interventions

• Ability to facilitate and manage policy formulation and change

• Ability to analyze the long- and short-term effects of development interventions on children, women, marginalized ethnic groups, and vulnerable populations, and implement and manage appropriate strategies to mitigate negative effects

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Final Report 2008

Social Sciences


69

Competency Area



Statistics • Principles and methods of data collection, quantitative and qualitative data, sampling procedures, and data analysis

• Normal linear models, analysis of variance, and simple and multivariate regression analysis

• Integrative data analysis and basic expertise in systems dynamics

• Ability to use statistical software to analyze normal linear models and simple and multivariate regressions

• Ability to apply logical approaches to analyzing data for appropriate use in policy, project elaboration, monitoring and evaluation, and program management


Management


Competency Area Core Knowledge and Skills

Budget Planning, Financial

Management and Commodities Management

• Key concepts of fi nancial management including the elaboration of budgets, grant proposals, and corresponding activity plans

• Key concepts of commodities management integrating lessons from real-world challenges of production management, procurement, and distribution of, for example, medical supplies

• Budget-planning processes, international fi nancing structures, and systems of credit and microfi nance

• Procurement and logistical processes in developing countries and resource-poor settings, and the development of effective and appropriate distribution plans

Communications and Negotiation

• Verbal communication skills and ability to effectively interact with partners and stakeholders from diverse cultural backgrounds

• Written communication skills and effective proposal-writing skills

• Ability to work collaboratively with multiple stakeholders to negotiate important decisions, policies, and programmatic strategies to achieve outcomes that positively affect development goals

• Use of critical self-refl ection to analyze attitudes, perceptions and biases, how they are formed, and how they affect choices

Geographic Information Systems

(GIS)

• Basic concepts, structures and functions used in geographic information systems (GIS) as well as the applications of GIS in development policy and planning

• Skills using GIS software such as ArcGIS, and the ability to interpret GIS maps

• Integrating the use of ICT and GIS to inform project design through the use of comprehensive needs assessments, risk analyses, and dynamic monitoring and evaluation tools

Institutional and Human Resources

Management

• Leadership skills for human resource management including the ability to mentor and inspire co-workers and subordinates

• Knowledge of relevant human resources policies and procedures

• Ability to provide institutional leadership guided by an ability to understand and analyze the strengths and weaknesses of an organizational structure; identify available resources and potential opportunities; and recognize internal and external challenges

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Final Report 2008

Management


71

Competency Area Core Knowledge and Skills

Information Systems Design and

Management

• Ability to identify and implement appropriate systems of monitoring and evaluation to be incorporated into the project design

• Methods of data collection and key indicators used in monitoring and evaluation

• Ability to analyze data collected during the monitoring and evaluation process, and recommend adjustments or adaptations to the project when appropriate

• Knowledge of basic technologies used to transfer and share information, and the associated opportunities to mobilize partners from developing countries to engage in information sharing and virtual mentorship

• Essential computer skills and ability to integrate information technology and decision-making tools in practice

• Integrating the use of ICTs and GIS to inform the project design through the use of comprehensive needs assessments, risk analyses, and dynamic monitoring and evaluation tools

Project Design and Management

• Knowledge of the theories and commonly-used processes of project cycle management and log frame analysis (LFA) including: identifi cation, analysis, design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation

• Ability to conduct an in-depth analysis of geographical, environmental, political, historical, religious, and institutional landscape of a development challenge

• The appropriate selection and identifi cation of project indicators in the project design

• Ability to facilitate collaborative and participatory approaches to project design and knowledge of commonly used techniques such as SWOT analysis, stakeholder mapping, and problem and objective analysis

• Ability to collate and synthesize relevant information into a logical and cohesive project proposal

• Ability to develop and implement effective work plans for project staff and participants

• Ability to integrate knowledge gained from monitoring and evaluation systems into the project design and the revision of project objectives or activities


Appendix D Example Training Module: Food Production Management

Core Knowledge

Science Policy Management

• Fundamental principles and dynamics of the ecosystem

• Factors affecting land degradation, soil fertility, plant growth and animal production, and forest and fi sheries management

• Nutrition and caloric requirements of human populations

• Ecological impacts of agriculture and land degradation

• Policies affecting food security and market stability

• Indicators and mapping systems for national food insecurity and vulnerability, and their applications in policy and practice

• Models used to predict climate change and their applications in policy and practice

• Sustainable agricultural, forestry and fi sheries management practices in the fi eld (education, community participation, local and national management strategies)

• Managing interventions to control vectors, pests and weeds, forest fi res, illegal logging, and overfi shing

Case Studies and Learning Activities

• Biotechnology and the use of genetically improved seeds

• Innovations in water harvesting and irrigation systems

• Improved soil fertility (fertilizers, organic materials, and erosion prevention)

• Case studies of dramatic food production increases in Latin America, Asia and Africa (i.e. green revolutions)

• Case studies of dramatic improvements in natural forest and fi sheries management, certifi cation, and reduced carbon emissions in Latin America, Asia and Africa (i.e. oil palm industry in Malaysia)

• Case study analysis and identifi cation of appropriate interventions to increase food production for distinct climates

• Critical analysis of indicators of poverty and food insecurity and vulnerability for policy formulation

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